Once-obscure Washington Cracker venue draws events, visitors

LeAnn Bjerken

Since its purchase four years ago by local investor group Cracker Box LLC, the former Washington Cracker Co. building at 304 W. Pacific quietly has been transforming into a popular Spokane event venue. Darby McKee, who co-owns the building along with Mar...

HomeStreet’s new home in downtown Spokane

Samantha Peone

Following the launch of commercial lending services here barely two years ago, Seattle-based HomeStreet Bank recently opened its first retail branch in Spokane, where it has consolidated both its commercial and retail services, says Steve Storey, senior v...

Demand for HELOCs strong in Spokane despite rising rates

Samantha Peone

Despite rising interest rates, applications for home equity loans, such as home equity lines of credit, have remained consistent and even increased some throughout the past year, some Spokane-area lending experts say. David Flood, chief lending officer a...

Chimney Rock Mortgage strives to keep lending local

LeAnn Bjerken

Despite potential challenges posed by recent upticks in interest rates, Mike Hogan, loan officer and branch manager for Spokane-based Chimney Rock Mortgage LLC, says he believes there are still opportunities for growth in Spokane’s home lending markets....

How angel investors earn their wings

LeAnn Bjerken

In recent years, Spokane has seen a handful of local startup companies grow into successful ventures resulting in benefits for both their founding entrepreneurs as well as early investors. Those who follow news of startup successes may have wondered wh...

Northwest Entrepreneurship Competition increases its reach

Samantha Peone

Organizers, supporters, and participants in this year’s Northwest Entrepreneur Competition are eager to see who will join the ranks of past winners that have become successful Spokane companies, such as etailz Inc. and Photoboxx. Typically, between 70 ...

Ignite Northwest’s sixth startup class underway

Spokane-based startup accelerator Ignite Northwest has begun its sixth round of business-growth education and coaching with 11 companies based here. CEOs from the companies began their 13-week session on Feb. 6, says Ignite Northwest CEO Bill Savitz. In ...

The Need For LEED

LeAnn Bjerken

The popularity of LEED certification programs has diminished in recent years as building and energy codes have strengthened, some Spokane-area engineers and architects say. LEED, short for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a certification p...

Waste Connections Inc.: Connecting the county to recycling, composting

Samantha Peone

With the bustling economy and plethora of resulting construction projects, Waste Connections Inc.’s two Spokane County transfer stations have seen a steady increase of the amount of municipal solid waste dropped off, says Bill Stansberry, district manag...

Taking the wastefulness out of water usage

Recent growth in Washington state’s potato industry has helped to fuel an increase in demand for the services provided by the Spokane Valley office of Cascade Earth Sciences, says Steve Venner, the Washington regional manager based here. Last year’...